Rush
by Macx
Summary: movie-fic. re-uploaded after it has gone missing. Imperfection 'verse Lennox isn't a mech, but he isn't human either. He's quite aware of that. So is Ironhide. The problem is, what seems to be a simple form of aid for Ironhide results in a head rush for Lennox.


They had set up a regular schedule. Ironhide would pick up Will, drive them out to a place where both felt no prying eyes, had no interruptions, and they would train Will's abilities. Unlike Sam, who was a technopath and could influence machine life, even uplink to the mechanoids, Lennox's changes were more passive. He had runes and glyphs running over his skin, sometimes more prominent, sometimes like faint shadows. A line of runes had taken up a permanent residence running down his neck in a single line, spreading out as they reached his shoulder blades.

What was more active than passive was his ability to change his skin texture. What had started out as an accident had become something he could control: he could deflect harmful attacks. Be it knives, needles or bullets, even laser shots of medium strength. It drained Will and it hurt when it came to Ironhide's gun, as he had found out quite painfully. Especially when it was several volleys.

Ironhide had apologized profusely, had sicced Ratchet on the aching human, and Lennox had gone through a string of examinations with a resigned air to him.

What had developed just lately was his mimicking ability. Ratchet had been beside himself when Will had demonstrated something the Allspark had been able to do: increase and decrease his size. He didn't stay human when he adjusted his size, he started to look like a protoform exoskeleton.

That was what Ironhide insisted they train. Especially handling himself while mimicking a mechanoid's trans-scanned exo-structure.

It was hard, still draining, left Will exhausted. But he kept on training.

Today was a rather rough day. He was tired, his movements sluggish, and the continued shield adaptations had taken a lot out of him. Ironhide was helping him with his agility, with keeping himself under control as he let instinct take over. It was a mixture of hand-to-hand combat and athletics.

Too slow to react, Will was jolted when Ironhide's hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm and had him on the dusty ground. The weight kept him pinned down and the bright blue optics bore into him.

"You're slow, Lennox."

"Yeah," he managed, breathing hard.

Despite all his changes, he was still human and not a machine.

An ache started in his neck and he groaned softly as it pulsed deeper into his brain.

"You okay?"

"Tired," he murmured.

A scan bounced off his shields and he winced a little. "Stop scanning."

"Did I hurt you?"

"No. It's just… draining…"

Ironhide sat back and Will pushed himself into a sitting position as well. He truly ached now. Lennox flexed the hand Ironhide had grabbed, watching the mimicked exo-skeleton move. Runes teased him with their faint image. He rarely saw them when he looked like this and it told him more than anything else that he was dead on his feet.

"Will? Take a time out."

Huh. Good advice. He flopped back with a soft groan.

"How's your energy level?" Ironhide asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you low on energon?"

"I'm not a mech, Ironhide. I'm still me underneath this fake."

"It's not a fake," the other contradicted and let his fingers play over the dark exterior. Runes followed his trail. "It's metal skin."

"Not underneath."

Ironhide flipped his wrist a little and reached for Lennox's limp arm. "Let's try this," he remarked.

Will's eyes widened and he sat up abruptly. "What the hell…?"

"We can transfer energy, Will. I can give you a little boost."

"Uh… Ironhide, I'm still organic, remember? It's just the surface."

"And humans convert food into energy." Blue optics gentled a little. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"H-how does this work?"

"All protoforms have an interface unit, allowing access in case of emergency. Like energon transfer. It's easy and painless."

"Uh. Okay."

Ironhide's hand slid gently over the exo-structure. The caps of his fingers opened all of a sudden and he buried them into the depths of the reformative infrastructure.

Lennox tried not to jerk back.

Something warm spread through him, tingling, making him gasp in surprise. It was like a soft charge, like eating sugar and drinking coffee and having an immediate effect.

And then Ironhide removed his hand. Will's reaction was instinctive as he grabbed the retreating hand, fingers curling around the wrist. He was still breathing hard.

Sugar rush.

Definitely.

Caffeinated sugar high.

Good gawd!

It was like a primal need to hold onto something, to Ironhide, ride out the rush, and finally a last tremor passed through him.

"Hell…" he whispered, exhaling sharply.

"You okay?"

He was holding on to the wrist and only slowly pried open his fingers. "Y-yeah. Is it always like this?"

"You are not a mechanoid, Will. You reacted rather strongly to the small discharge."

"Small?!" It had felt like the best high ever!

Ironhide smirked. "You want more?" he taunted.

Lennox laughed, sounding almost high again. "No way, big guy. No way. That was enough. And thanks. I feel better. Lots better."

It was as if his body had recognized the energy charge as a 'shot' and had 'recharged'. Weird.

"But I'm calling it quits for today."

"We should take a break for a few days," Ironhide conceded. "We upped every time we trained and it overwhelmed you. You are only human after all." Optics glowed with a teasing light.

"Huh. Right. Bastard." Lennox got to his feet, bouncing on his exo-skeletal balls. He felt like he could take on the world. "You're just afraid I might kick your ass now."

"Try, kid. Just try."

Will chuckled and shook his head. "And get whacked around just 'cause you want to prove a point? No thanks."

"Coward."

"No, reasonable. I learned that early on in my military training, Ironhide."

Ironhide clapped him on the shoulder, fingers briefly squeezing it. "Let's go home then."

Will lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think of how the energon transfer had felt. The tingle had been maddeningly brief, like a rush that shouldn't end. Like taking a rollercoaster ride and plunging deep, only to stop and realize it was over. Adrenaline high. Sugar rush. Whatever it was called, it had been damn good.

Not like sex. No. Like the afterglow. Just without the messy but pleasurable act before that.

Lennox pushed that thought aside. Mechanoids had no sex. The very concept was alien to them. Spark bonds were the closest thing they had to what humans called 'physical intimacy', and it was more intimate than any human could ever understand.

Alien cultures, he mused. They were so different from each other. Then again, sometimes Ironhide was as human as the next guy he knew.

I'm getting off on something as natural to a mech as breathing is to us. Shit.

He knew he was in trouble. Big trouble.


End file.
